Liquid level control means



1953 w. s. LANDON 2,664,099

LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL MEANS Filed May 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

v ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1953 Filed May 15, 1947 W. S. LANDON LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR w ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1953 w. s. LANDON 2,664,099

LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL MEANS Filed May 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.II

FIG.I|2

INVENTOR,

' 'Kuv ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1953 w. s. LANDON 2,664,099

LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL MEANS Filed May 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL MEANS Walter S. Landon, deceased, late of Detroit, Mich., by Marion E. Landon, administratrix, Detroit, Mich., assgnor to Detroit Controls Corporation, Detroit, Mch., a corporation of Michigan Application May 15, 1947, Serial No. 748,299

9 Claims. (Cl. 137391) This invention relates to new and useful improvement in liquid level control devices and more particularly to such a device which is particularly adapted for controlling the supply of liquid fuel to a gravity fed burner.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which will maintain a substantially constant liquid level and therefore liquid head on the outlet port or orifice.

Another object is to provide safety means for stopping the flow of fuel in the event of failure of the normally acting means to maintain the constant level.

Another object is to provide a metering control for the outlet port in which the rate of initial flow from the control device is predetermined irrespective of the rate of opening movement of the valve closure means Another object is to provide a novel inlet shutofi means.

The invention consists in the improved construction and cooperable relation of parts to be more fully described hereinaiter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings to be taken as a part of this specification, there are fully and clearly illustrated several preferred embodiments of the invention, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of the control device having the cover plate removed to show internal construction,

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 but showing the cover member in place,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view similar to Fig. l, but having the outlet port metering valve and its supporting structure removed,

Fig. 4 is a view in section on the line 44 of Fig. 3,

5 is a detail view in section on the line 5'5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a detail view in section on the line 66 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of a portion of the cover member showing the meterins, valve manual control member and its eooperating indicia,

Fig. 8 is a detail view in section showing the metering valve operating cam mechanism and taken upwardly on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 9 is a detail view in section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2 showing certain reset and float sup orting structure,

Flg. 10 is a bottom plan view of a metering valve hand grip adjustment member,

Fig. 11 is a view in plan section of another form of the invention taken on the line lll l of Fig. 12,

Fig. 12 is a view in vertical section on the line I2I2 of Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 is a detail view of certain lever mechanism showing the inlet valve controlling float member in float chamber empty or float sunk position, and

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13, but showing the float member and lever mechanism in safety position resulting from excess liquid level in the chamber.

Relerring to the drawing by characters of reference and particularly Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive, the reference numeral I designates generally a casing providing a liquid level chamber or reservoir 2 which is of substantially rectangular form with rounded end portions or walls. Abovethe maximum possible liquid level in the chamber 2 and opening through a 1aterally projecting inlet nipple 3 there is an inlet passageway having an enlarged internally screw threaded bore 5. A fiared inlet pipe or conduit 6 leading from a source of liquid fuel supply such as a tank or pump is secured in the bore 5 by asleeve flare nut 1. A cartridge type shut-off valve 8 is contained within the outlet end of the tube or pipe 6 and comprises a cylinderhaving a valve port 9 through its end Wall and containing a check valve member lll which is urged toward port closing position by a coil spring ll held under compression against a ported aperture member or disc l 2 seoured in the outer end of the member 8. The passageway 4 has a branch portion I3, see Fig. 5, which opens substantially laterally into a vertically positioned cylindrical strainer chamber M. The passageway 4 also has an extension I5 opening substantially tangentially into the chamber M and which provides a guide-way for a valve operating rod l6 extending from the valve member [0 and projecting intothe chamber l4. Within the chamber M there is a cylindrical strainer ll closed at its bottom end and secured and sealed at its upper end to a fianged substantially cylindrical cap member I8, see Fig. 6, which substantially fits the upper end of the chamber M. The'cylindrical wall of the member I8 below its transverse closure wall I9 has a circumferential recess 2a: providing an inlet port to the interior of the strainer l! and alined with the passageway portion I3'. One side wall 21 of the recess 20 serves as a thrust member or abutment receiving the free end of the valve operating rod l6. The cap member flanges or ears 22 serve as looking dogs engageable under spring fingers 23 of a substantially U-shaped re silient plate member 24 secured by screws or the like 25 to bosses 26 on an inlet fitting member 21 which is clampable by the serews 25 to bosses 28 projecting from the strainer member housing. The recess wall 2| holds the valve member ll) in open position and the spring under compression. Through the side wall of the strainer housing there is an outlet port 29 which terminates within the strainer chamber wall and opens upwardly through the top surface of the portion interconnecting the bosses 28. The outlet port 29 joins a port or passageway 3] in the fitting member 21 extending at an upward inclination to the central inlet valve chamber 3|. Screw threaded into the chamber 3| there is a valve port member 32 having an inlet port 33 with oppositely facing valve seats. Cooperable with these seats there is a normally acting inlet valve 34 and a safety valve member 35 which are interconnected by a screw threaded stem 36 extending from the valve member 34 and adjustably screw threaded in the valve member 35, the valve member 34 being provided with a screw-driver slot or the like for relative adjustment and spacing of the valve members from each other. The lower or safety valve member 35 has the convex supporting surface Which seats on the inner bottom wall or base of a cuplike supporting member 31 which is pivotallv connected by a pin 38 to a pan-like lever 38, the pin 38 extending through apertures in the opposite side wall fianges 40. The thickness or height of the base fiange of the valve member 35 is less than the height of the rim or inner side wall of the supporting member 31, as will be apparent from Fig. 4, so that lost motion of the valve member 34 relative to the lever 39 is permitted to the extent of this difference in heights. The normally acting upper valve member 34 is urged toward its seat by gravity and, when the lost motion is taken up, by a coil spring 4| positioned between an adjustable sleeve abutment 42 screw threaded on the seat member 32 and an abutment member 43 comprising an apertured fianged disc receiving the lower valve member 35 and seating on the supporting member 31. The lever member 39 is urged counter-clockwise by the spring 4| and is pivotallv supported by a shaft 44 which is supported at its end portions in V-notched bosses 45 proiecting upward from the casing bottom wall, the shaft being held and located in the V-notches by the head portions of screws 46. Secured as by rivets or the like to the underside of the member 39 there are laterally spaced or front and rear positioned float members 41 and 48 which cooperate with the spring 4| by their buoyant frce to move the valve member 34 toward closed position. Cooperable with the lever member 39 there is a magnetic member or armature 49 fixed centrally at the free end portion of the lever member 39 and on its upper face. Cooperable with the armature 49 there is a horse-shoe type permanent magnet 50 carried by a supporting arm havin one or more lon itudinal reinforcing flanges and fulcrum ears 52 pivotallv supportin the arm on the shaft 44. The arm F| is ad vstablv connected to an overlying substantiallv parallel arm 53 by means of an adiustment screw 54 extending throu h the arm 53 and screw threaded into the arm 5|. The arm 53 has downward extendin r side fianges 55 which overlap the ears 52 and are apertured for passage of the shaft M therethrough and fulcruming of the arm 5 thereon. The arm 53 has an umvard extendin r post 56, see Flgs. 2 and 9, cooperable with a combination cam and stop member 5'| to normally support the mag -underface in the form of a spiral flange, combination cam and stop member 51 is clamped net in predetermined relation to the armature 49 when the valve member 34 is seated to close the port 33 in normal float operation.

Extending diagonally across the float chamber there is a saddle-like supporting member or plate 58 Which is secured adjacent its ends by screws 59 to supporting bosses pr0jecting from the casing side walls. In the top face of the member 58 there is a substantially cylindrical recess G!) having concentric therewith a downward extending tubular fiange and guide sleeve B Rotatably fitting in the sleeve 6| there is a cam member 52 having a cam wheel 63 positioned below the lower end of the sleeve 6| and having a helical cam The to the lower end face of the member 32 by a screw 64. The magnet supporting arm is held with the post 56 against member 5'| by a coil spring secured at one end to the plate member El by the head of the screw 64 and bearing at its other end against the lever arm 5|. The cam member 62 is supported by a hand grip member 66 Which rotatably fits in the saddle member recess 60, the members 66 and 62 being secured together by a bolt 61 and being held for rotation as a unit by a rib and keyway 68. The grip member 36 is normally supported on spaced lugs 69 and is held against the top faces thereof by a coil spring Y!) held under compression between the underface of the member 58 and the cam wheel portion 63. Through the bottom wall of the recess there is an arcuate aperture terminating at one end in the outermost one of the lugs 69 which serves as a stop to limit rotation of the member 56 to about 350. Cooperable with the slot there is a finger 12, the member 56 also having arcuate slots 13 cooperable with and to receive the lugs 69 when the lugs and slots are in registry and the finger 12 is in registry with the slot 1|, to permit the spring 10 to move the cam member 82 downward. Reciprocally guided through an aperture '14 through the saddle member 58 at the side of the recess 60 is the stem '|5 of a metering valve '|G controllin flow through an outlet port T! in the bottom wall 18 of the chamber 2. The portion of the wall 78 through which the port opens, forms the top wall of an outlet passageway 19 having an internally screw threaded end 80 for receiving the fuel burner supply pipe. A vent passage 8| leads upward from the passageway 19 into the chamber 2 above the maximum possible liquid level therein. The valve stem 15 extends downwe rd through alined apertures in the lever arm 5| and through the bottom wall of the pan-like lever member 39,

the stem 15 substantially .fitting the pin aperture 82 by permitting flow therethrough into the chamber 2. On the stem 15 there is a lateral fianqe or proiection 83 providing a cam follower portion cooperable with the helical surface of the cam wheel 63. The stem 15 also has a downward facing shoulder 84 cooperable with a lever 85 pivoted on a shaft 86 and secured at its free end by a pin 81 to a dash-pot piston 88. There is a dash-pot chamber 89 formed in the bottom wall '.S. in which the piston 88 is movably positioned, said piston being urged upward by a coil spring en so as to hold the cam follower fian :e 33 in eneagement with the cam wheel 63. An upward opening check valve 9| carried by the niston 88 permits rapid downward mo ement of the lever 85 and meter-ing valve 76 while causing a dela.ved era dual openin movement of the valve |5. It will be annarent that the force of the spring 90 and the c1earance of piston 88 can rovide a predetermined time de lay-in theopening movement of the valve 16 to its full open position. The: valve 75 is provided with a fuel metering slot 92 which may beof the usual inverted V groove type.

The chamber 2 is: closed by a. cover member 93 which is apertured to receive the cylindrical wall of the recess 60 and for passage of th stem i. e. When the slots 13 are out of registry with.

the lugs 68. This adiustment is, of course, made when the pointer 96 is alined with the mark designated Pilot on the cover member 93. On the cover member 93 there is also the position designated Off which corresponde to registry of the lugs 59 With the slots '13 and in which position the valve 16 is seated on the wall 18 to close the port TI. Also in clockwise rotation from the Pilot point and beyond the Ofi point there is a point designated Start which is the position to and beyond which the pointer 96 is moved to bring the valve member 35 away from its inlet port seat without, however, seating the upper valve member 34 so that liouid fuel can flow into the empty chamber 2. This Start position corresponde to the circumferentially recessed portion 91 of the combined cam and stop disc 51, see Fig. 9. It will be noted that the disc 51 has a protuberant cam portion 98 for the purpose of diseneaging the magnet 50 from the armature 49, a stop rod 99 cooperating with the pan-like lever member 39 to limit upward movement of the armature 49 to accom plish this purpose. The rod 89 is adiustably screw threaded through the screw member 53 and is held in adiusted position by a lock nut Hi0. Opening movement of the valve 15 may be limited by a stop member 8| cooperable with the stem projection or flange 83 and adiustable screw threaded through the saddle member 58, it being provided with a screw driver slot adjustment [02, see Fig. 1.

The operation of th device in Figs. 1 to 10 is as follows:

When the strainer chamber cover member I 8 is locked in position as shown in Fig. 1 then the valve member HJ is in open position so that fuel from the source of supply, not shown, will feed through the inlet pipe 6 into the interior of the strainer Il and therethrough into the passageway 29 and 38 leading to the inlet valve cham ber 3 l. If the float chamber 2 is empty, the float mech-anism 39 will be in its lowermost or down position so that the valve member 35 will be seated against and closing the port 33. In order to admit fuel to the chamber 2, it will, therefore, be necessary to open the valve member 35 and this is accomplished by rotating the hand arip member se until the finger 95 is at the Start posi tion of Fig. 7 which will permit the post 55 to drop into the recess portion 9I, see Fig. 9, so that the magnet 52! will drop into attractive position to the armature 49. The hand grip member 55 is then rotated counter-clockwise to or beyond the Off osit on wh h will push post 56 toward the left facing Fig. 2 thereby rotating the magnet 59 upward and lifting the valve member operating lever mechanism 3!I to a position in which the valve members 34 and 35 will both be unseated so that fuel will: flow through the port. 33 into the pan-like lever member 39 and thus through the aperture 82 into the chamber 2. The Drotuberance 98 will move the post 56 sufilciently counterburner' before the fuel can be ien ted.

clockwise so that the magnet 50 will be freed from the armature 49 due to the arm member or pan 39 engaging the post 9.9 and being stopped in its upward movement.

The infiowing fuel to the chamber 2 will fill the same to the desired normal substantially constant liquid level indicated by the line L-L, at which level the float members 48 will seat the valve member 34 to stop further inflow of liquid through the port 33. When the hand grip member 66.is rotated further in a counter-clockwise direction, the cam surface of the wheel 63 will be lifted away from the valve stem flange 83 and permit the dash-pot spring to move the valve 16 toward open position. In the Off position the lugs 69 will be in their respective recesses 13. The first action upon counter-clockwise rotation of thehand grip member 66 toward Pilot position will be a camming of the hand grip member 5,6 and the cam wheel 63 upward by the inclined end portions of the slots 13 which will bring the hand grip member 66 to the position of Fig. 2 without, however, having caused any upward travel of the stem flange 83 upon the cam surface of the cam wheel 63. Irrespective of the rate of rotation of the hand grip member 66 and the consequent rate of lifting of the cam surface away from the fiange 83, the rate of opening movement of the valve 16 will be predetermined by the action of the dash-pot piston 88 and its spring 9D,

so that for normal operation of the hand grip member for burner igniting operation when the hand grip member would be rotated to full counter-clockwise or High position the flow of fuel through the metering valve outlet 11 to theburner will have a time delay and notfiood the Irrespective of the position of the valve 16 under the control of the cam wheel member 6.3, the float mechanism will tend to maintain a 'suhstantally constant liquid level in the chamber 2 and more nearly constant than with the usual simple inlet valve and float member arrangement. This is due to the pan-like leverniember 39 Which counterweiehs the flo t me bers M hv the wei ht of the incoming liquid so that the float members 48 will be depressed into the liquid thereby raising the level in the float chamber by liquid displacement,

whereas as when the normally acting valve member 34 closely approaches its seat the quantity of liquid in the pan-like lever member 39 will be decreased 'thereby resulting in the float members 48 displacing less liquid within the chamber 2. Should the valve member 34 fail to close the port 33 so that the liquid level in the chamber 2 in creases above the line LL, the float members 4'! and 48 will follow with the increasing level due to the lost motion of the valve member 34 relative to its supporting member 31 and lever 33. When the level gets to some predetermined higher liquid level such for example, as the line LL, which further level is adjustable by the screw 54, then the magnet 5o will actively attract the armature 48 and lift the lever arm39 with a quick action thereby tie htlv seet ne the valve member 34 to close the port 33 and shut ofl' further inflow of fuel to the chamber 2. If the float members 41 should become water-logged or sink to the bottom of the chamber 2 for any reason, then the valve member 35 will be lifted to port closing poport 33 thereby stopping further infiow of fuel to the chamber 2. It will be apparent that the end of the stem which projects above the cover plate 93 permits of the application to the control device of automatic means for actuating the valve 16 such, for example, as a thermostatic bimetal heat motor or the like which might be remotely controlled, the cam wheel 63 under such conditions being positioned to determine the maximum opening movement of th valve 16 when the stem 15 is released by the automatic actuator.

Referring to Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, the reference numeral l lo designates the casing of a constant level chamber or reservoir having oppositely directed outlet fittings lll, H2 with alined outlet passageways H3, IM respectively which are separated from each other by a vertical intermediate wall H5. Discharging into these passageways ll3, H4 respectively are outlet ports HB, l IT through the bottom wall II8 of the casing lll]. Supported in the upper end portions' of the casing chamber H9 there is a support structure or saddle member l held in position by screws |2l of Which but one is shown and which are threaded into casing bosses l22. The member l20 carries an inlet fitting l23 which projects through an aperture I24 in the side wall of the casing HD and through which there is an inlet passageway 125 which leads into a valve chamber [26. The lower end of the chamber l26 is closed by a valve seat member 121 screw threaded upwardly thereinto and having a valve port 128 controlled by a downward seating valve member l 29. The valve stem 30 is pivotally connected by a in l3l to a journal member 132 which is rigidly fixed to the bottom wall 133 of a pan-like lever member l34 having side flanges l35. A shaft or pvot pin l36 extends through the fianges l35 and is supported at its ends in a bracket 131 which is pivoted on a shaft l38 supported at its ends in bracket arms I3S depending from a supporting plate lo secured to depending posts Il extending downward from the saddle member 120. The flanges 35 are slotted so that the lever arm I34 rests on the shaft [36 but such that the arm 134 can rock upwardly on the valve stem pvot pin l3l as a center. Secured to the end portion of the pan-like lever arm l34 beneath the valve port 128 which dischargs into the pan-like lever member, there is a float mem ber supporting bracket H2 carrying an annular float member M3 positioned substantially concentrically within the chamber IIS and in surrounding relation to the outlet orts H5. HT. Also pivoted on the shaft |38 there is an armature supporting lever 144 having parallel arms 145 which overlie the pvot pin I3l on opposite sides of the journal member 32 in position to bear downwardly against the shaft l3l. The lever l 44 is apertured for passage of an angularly bent lug HIS therethrough which projects from the bracket 131 such that the lug end portion lies beneath the lever arm IM. An adjustment screw 141 adjustably screw threaded through the lever arm M4 seats downward against the lug HI6 to adjustably position the bracket l3'l and accordingly the position of the float member supporting shaft 36 will be to regulate the liquid level at which the float member l43 will close the valve member [29. The armature Hi8 cooperates with a horseshoe type permanent magnet 49 carried by the saddle member 120 and extending downward therefrom. An adjustment screw lso carried by the arm (44 extends downward into abuttable relation to the free end portion of the bottom wall of the pan-like arm 134 to determine the upward movement of the arm 134 prior to movement of the arm IM thereby and therewith.

The outlets IIS, H1 are controlled respectively by metering valves preferably of the metering slot air vented type l5l, l52 which are of identical construction and similarly controlled and therefore the construction and control means for the valve [52 alone will be described.

A spring I53 surrounding the valve stem I54 and bearing against the bottom wall l |8 urges the valve 152 toward open position. Above the lever arms 134 and I44 the valve stem is provided with a cam follower comprising vertically spaced flanges 155, [56, the stem extending upward through a guide-way l51 through the saddle member [20 and through an aperture through the casing cover member l58. Cooperable with the fianges and [.56 there is a cam wheel 159 carried by a shaft guided in a, cylindrical aperture through the saddle mem ber [20. The underface of the peripheral portion of the wheel [59 is a spiral cam surface which bears against the upper face of the stem flange [55 to regulate the opening movement of the valve l52 under the force of the spring l53. The upper peripheral face of the wheel l59 bears against the underace of the stem fiange [58 so that the valve stem l54 can be positiveiy lifted by upward movement of the hand grip mem ber IBI. The hand grip member IBI and the cam wheel shaft 160 are secured together by the bolt 162 and cooperable land and groove l63. The cam wheel l59 is urged downward to urge the valve member [52 toward closed position against the force of the spring l53 by a spring [64 which surrounds the shaft ISO and is held under compression between the wheel ISS and the underface of the saddle member l20 which sufiicient force to overcome the spring 53. The hand grip member ISI is provided with arouate slots [65 which cooperate with lugs ISE similarly to the recesses or slots 13 and lugs 69. The side Wall of the easing lll! has an opening IST therethrough above the maximum possible liquid level in the chamber I IS and through which a finger engageable end portion l68 of the armature lever arm 144 extends in order to reset the lever mechanism after safety operation. It will also be apparent that the end portion l68 can be manually lifted into magnet holding position to lock the inlet valve member [29 in closed position to protect the valve member and its seat against the deleterious eiect of vibration during shipment.

The operation of the control device of Figs. 11 to 14 is as follows:

If the inlet valve member 29 is locked in closed position, then the finger grip member IG8 would be pushed downward to free the valve holding fingers [45 from their looking engagement against the valve stem pvot pin I3i. The end portion 168 normally seats upon the lower end wall of the slot or aperture [61 to support the lever arm 144 in predetermined position so that the float member M3 can be adjusted as above described. The valve member l29 now being open, liquid fuel Will flow into the chamber l IS onto the pan-like lever arm 134 and tend to counter-balance in part the buoyant force of the float member M3 as above described with respect to Figs. 1 to 10 and when the liquid level rises to the desired substantially constant level indicated by the line LL, Fig. 12, the lever mechanism will be in positions shown in Fig. 12. and the valve member 292 will be seated. The metering valves I'I, l52 maybe opened to regu late the out-flow through the outlet passageways H3 and H4 respectively as above described in connection with Figs. 1 to andas will be ap parent from the foregoing descriptions of these Figs. 11 to 14. If the liquid level increases above the line LL to the maximum desired safety level such as the line L-L of Fig. I2,then the M9 is suflicient to quickly pull the armature M8 and its lever IM upward thereby causingthe fingers 145 to strike sharply against the pvot or shaft l-3l and drive the valve member 29 to its It seat thus closing and sealing the portl28. may be noted that the force of the magnet 149 is strong enough to attract and move upwardly the armatre M8 upon-very slight upwardmve ment of the arm 144 by the arm [34, the screw' l'5ll determiningthe e'xterit of free movement of the arm 134 before there is movementimparted to the armat'ure l48. The position of the parts upon this safety operation due to excess liquid level is shown in Fig. 14.

In the event the float member M3 is in its down position due to the chamber H9 being empty, or has sunk due to water logging, the weight of the'float member and'the valve mem ber [29 on the bracket 3T which is pivoted on the shaft 138 will cause the bracket l-3'l to rock counter-clockwise facing Fig. 12 on its supporting shaft 138 thereby moving the 1ug portion l45 upward so as to raise the armature 148, with the result that the magnet |49- will pull the a rm Hl4 upward and causethe fingers l'45 to engage the valve supportingpin |3 The magnet 149 has sufficient force to overcom the weight ofth"'e float member 143 and the valve member 129 so that the fingers l45"will pull downward on the valve stem 130 and seat the valve member [29. The position of the parts when the float is in this down position is shown in Fig. 13.

What is claimed and is dsired to be 'secured by Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. A liquid flow controlling device comprising a casing with a downward dischaiging inlet and with an outlet, a valve membero.ontrolling said inlet, a float member operatively connected to said valve member and operabletomodulate the extent of Opening thereof to maintain a constant level of liquid in said casing, a liquid receiving member positioned beneath said inlet and arranged to receive liquid from said inlet and continuously to discharge liquid so received to said casing, said receiving member being arranged for movement by said float member, an armature movable by said receiving member, a magnet cooperable with said armature and acting thereon to close said valve member upon predetermined movement of said receiving member by said float member, and said receiving member counteracting by weight of received liquid the buoyant force of said float member.

2. A liquid flow controlling device, comprlsng a casing having a chamber with a downvvard dise charging inlet and with a substantially centrally located outlet, a, liquid receiving'member posi-e tioried beneath*said inlet and ,arranged to receive and oonti nuously discharge: liquid to said chama ber; and float means having spaced portions positi0nedonopposite sides of: said Outlet and op.. erabie to move said receiving member, a valve member controlling said inlet and operable by said float means; the Weight of received liquid on said receiving-member varying with the ex:- t.ent ofopening of said valve member and coun; teracting the buoyant force of said float means,-saidfloatmeans including a magnetic suriaoje. portion,= a;magretc0operable; with; said ma netic portion to control movement of said..float: means above a predetermined liquid level, a moveable member carrying said magnet in overlying relation to said float means, a;metering valve-cone trolling said outlet and extending upward; be.-. tween said float portions, a supporting structure carried by said casing and carrying said float means, said inlet valve member and said meter-e ing valve, cam means carried by said. supporting:

structure and having a helical cam: surface; s aid metering valve having a lateral pr0jectin nor; tion cooperable With meansand determining the position of*said mag-a: net carrying member.

3. A liquid flow controlling device, ,comprisng a casing having a chamber with aninlet. andan outlet, a float operated valve controlling said:- inlet, a float member for operating saidrvalve;

cooperable magnet and :armature members,

means supporting one of said members for move ment, means holding said one member in pre-1 determined position, the other of said members bemg movable by said float member into at:-

tractive moving relation to said: one member and:

acting upon magnetic movement to close said valve, a valve member controlling said outlet,

means operable to actuate said valve member, v

and means operable by said last-named means to move S3l(l one member out of said predetermmed pos1t1on and attractive relation to the said other of said members thereby to condition saidvalve for operation by said float member".

4. liquid level controlling device, comprising a casmg having a chamber for liquid with an inlet and an outlet, a valve controlling said ifrlet, afioat responsive to liquid level and operable upon occurrence of a predetermined level to"close" said valve, cooperable magnot and armatur members, one of said members being movable with said float, lost motion means operatively mter-connected betweensaid float and said valveand providing for'overtr avel' of said M N movingsaid one m attractive relation to the other member upon such overtravel, safety means cooperable with said members and operable to move said valve to closed position, said safety means being actuated upon magnetic movement of one of said memn ers by the other, a metering valve controlling flow through said outlet, means operable to actuate said metering valve, and means operable oy said last-named means to reset said safety means after actuation by said magnetic means.

5. liquid flow controlling device, comprising a cas1ng having a chamber with a downward dis changing inlet and an outlet, valve means controllmg said inlet, float means responsive to liq'uid u said cam; surface; means" holumg said DroJecting portion and said s.urfac.e m-contact, and means moveab le with,said cam.

. y b float upon increase of l1qu1d level above said predetermined lev'el in said chamber and operatively connected to said valve means to actuate the same, said float means comprising a pan-like member and supporting float member, said pan-like member being positioned beneath and to receive liquid from said inlet and continuously discharging the received liquid into said chamber, lost-motion means operatively inter-connected between said float means and said valve means and providing for overtravel of said float means upon seating of said valve means, and magnetic means cooperable with said float means to take up the lost-motion and positively to close said valve means on rise of liqu d level in said chamber above a predetermined level at which said valve means normally closes.

6. A liquid flow controlling device, comprising a casing having a chamber with a downward discharging inlet and an outlet, a valve seat member in said inlet having a port providing oppositely facing valve seats, valve means controlling flow through said port and including spaced facing valve members, a stem joining said valve members and extending through said port, float means responsive to liquid level in said chamber and operatively connected to said valve means to actuate the same, said float means comprising a pan-like member and a supporting float member, said pan-like member being positioned beneath and to receive liquid from said inlet and discharging the received liquid into said chamber, lost-motion means operatively interconnected between said float means and said valve means and providing for overtravel of said float means upon seating of said valve means, and magnetic means cooperable with said float means to take up the lost-motion and positively to close said valve means against one of said seats on rise of liquid level in said chamber above a predetermined level at which said valve means normally closes against said one of said seats, said float means acting upon predetermined decrease of liquid level below said predetermined level to urge said valve means against the other of said seats.

7. A liquid flow controlling device, comprising a casing having a chamber with a downward discharging inlet and an outlet, a valve seat member in said inlet having a port providing oppositely facing valve seats, a valve means controlling flow through said port and including spaced facing valve members, a stem joining said valve members and extending through said port, float means responsive to liquid level in said chamber and operatively connected to said valve means to actuate the same, said float means comprising a pan-lik member and a supporting float member, said outlet being positioned beneath said pan-like member, said pan-like member having an aperture therethrough alined with said outlet, a metering valve controlling said outlet and having an operating stem extending upward through said aperture, said pan-like member being positioned beneath and to receive liquid from said inlet and discharging the received liquid into said chamber, lost-motion means operatively inter-connected between said float member and said valve members and providing for overtravel of said float means upon seating of said valve means, and magnetic means cooperable with said float means to take up the lost-motion and positively to close said valve means against one of said seats on rise of liquid level in said chamber above a predetermined level at which said valve means normally closes against said one of said seats, said float means acting upon predetermined decrease of liquid level below said predetermined level to urge said valve means against the other of said seats.

8. A liquid flow controlling device as defined in claim 1 wherein there is provided a lever pivotally connecting said float member and said valve member, a pivoted braclret supporting said lever, and said magnet and armature cooperating to move said bracket upon said predetermined movement of said float member to close said valve member.

9. A liquid flow controlling device as defined in claim 1 wherein there is provided a lever pivotally connecting said float member and said valve member, a pivoted bracket supporting said lever, lost motion means operatively inter-connected between said float member and said valve member and permitting movement of said float member relative to said valve member upon increase of liquid level above a predetermined level, the weight of said lever and float member tending to rotate said bracket, a lever arm moveable by said bracket upon rotaton thereof, said magnet and armature being operable to move said arm upon movement thereof by said bracket, means operable by movement of said arm to move said valve member to closed position, and means to transmit movement from said lever to said arm upon lost motion movement of said float member to render said magnet and armature effective to close said valve member.

MARION E. LANDON, Administratria: of Walter S. London, deceased.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,199,538 Curry May 7, 1940 2,207,123 Johnson July 9, 1940 2,230,911 Russel Feb. 4, 1941 2,271,183 De Lancey Jan. 27, 1942 2,293,903 Johnson Aug. 25, 1942 2,358,040 Williams Sept. 12, 1944 2,387,858 Russel Oct. 30, 1945 2,405,126 Bates Aug. 6, 1946 

